Members of the Rab-10 also busted a JMB den and seized huge explosives, bomb-making materials, firearms and ammunition.

The detained divisional commander, Abdur Rashid Asif, 22, of Charsadhu village in Gabtoli upazila, Bogra was in charge of the administrative districts of Rangpur, Nilphamari, Kurigram and Lalmonirhat.

Sources said Asif used to work as the bodyguard of JMB operations commander Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai, who is also hailed from Gabtoli.

Major Ershadul Haq of Rab-10 who led the drives said, "The militants admitted that they had rented the house to carry out attacks in greater Rangpur and Dinajpur region soon."

Following intelligence report, a Rab team from Dhaka arrested three JMB men at Saidpur Railway Station around 11:00pm on February 6, reports our Nilphamari correspondent.

The arrestees are Nilphamari district commander Wahidul Islam alias Sayem alias Al Mamun alias Sajjad Hossain, 24, of Thakurgaon, Birampur upazila commander Faruque Hossen alias Amzad, 32, of Nilphamari and ehsar member Rabiul Islam alias Kamal Hossain, 17.

Squeezing information out of the three, the Rab yesterday raided Asif's rented house in Kazi Para in Saidpur around 1:00am and arrested six other JMB leaders.

The arrestees are Asif, former district commander of Rangpur and Nilphamari Mahfuzar Rahman Ibrahim, 26, of Rangpur, Rangpur district commander Moniruz-zaman alias Iqbal, 25, of Thakurgaon, Kurigram district commander Abu Bakar Siddiq alias Nahid, 32, of Dinajpur, ehsar members Ehsanul Haq alias Mesbah, 18, of Dinajpur and Shahabuddin alias Ahmed Musa, 19, of Lalmonirhat who is also in charge of Rangpur sadar upazila.

The Rab also seized 84 detonators, four packs of power jel, two pipe guns, four cartridges, 12 circuits, three dozen batteries, five pieces of insulation tape, four kgs of chemical substances, 10 kgs of inflammable substances, four books on jihad, electric wire, three cellphone sets, a motorcycle, two dozen torch bulbs and Tk 47,000.

Rab sources said Sayem, Moniruzzaman and Nahid led the bomb blasts in Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat and Kurigram on August 17 last year. The Rab turned all the arrestees in to Nilphamari police.

Landlord Gani Mridha told The Daily Star Asif rented two tin-shed rooms of his house around one month ago at Tk 800 a month, identifying himself as a medical representative.

He said Asif was to live with his family and parents, but he only brought his wife and one child, but sent them elsewhere after 15 days.

As his wife and child left, many strangers started visiting his house frequently, he added.